CHAPTER FOUR
DEEDS THAT IMPEDE REPENTANCE
[4:1] There are twenty four sins and bad character traits that stand in the way of repentance. Four of them, are sins so grave, God does not give the one who commits them an opportunity to repent, (but He does not take away his ability to repent. God does not show him mercy to specially help him repent.) They are:
1) One who causes the masses to sin. Included in this category is a person who prevents them from performing a mitzvos.
2) One who leads his neighbor astray; for example, by persuading him to abandon the teachings of the Torah.
3) One who sees his son turn away from the teachings of the Torah and does not try to influence him to follow these teachings. Since he holds sway over his son, were he to admonish him, he would listen, and by not admonishing him, it is as if he caused him to sin.
Included in this sin also, are those who have the opportunity to reprimand others, whether an individual or a group, yet fail to do so. Rather than admonishing them, they allow them to continue their misdeeds.
4) One who says, "I will sin and then repent." Included in this category is one who says, "I will sin, and Yom Kippur will atone (my sins)."
[4:2] Among these 24 wrong deeds are five that close the door to repentance, (make repentance difficult). They are;
1) One who disassociates himself from the community. When the community repents he will not be with them, nor share in their merit.
2) One who contradicts the words of the Sages. As a result of the quarrel he provokes, he distances himself from them and does not learn how to repent.
3) One who shows contempt for the mitzvos. Considering them pointless, he does not want to perform them. If he does not perform mitzvos due to his contempt for them, how can he be expected to merit to repent.
4) One who degrades his teachers. Thus they will reject him by turning him away, as (Elisha did to) Geichazi, (Kings II, chapter 5). When he is cast away, he will not find a guide to show him the path of the Torah.
5) If one dislikes reprimands, his road to repentance is blocked, for reproof leads to repentance. When a person is told about his sins and feels ashamed of them, he will repent. as it is written,"Remember and never forget how you provoked God your Lord in the desert. From the day you left Egypt until you came here, you have been rebelling against God." (Deuteronomy 9:7). "But until this day, God did not give you a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear?" (Deuteronomy 2:3). "Is this the way you repay God, you ungrateful, unwise nation." (Deuteronomy 32:6). So too, Yeshayahu rebuked the Jewish people saying "An ox knows its owner, an ass its master's crib, Israel does not know. . ." (Yeshayahu 1:3). "Because I know how stubborn you are. (Yeshayahu 48:4). God also commanded us to admonish the transgressors, as it is written, "Cry with a full throat, without restraint." (Yeshayahu 58:1). Likewise, all the prophets chastised Israel to repent. Therefore, every congregation in Israel should appoint a great Rabbi of advanced age, known to be a God fearing man from his youth, and well liked, to admonish the congregation inspiring them to repent. A person who hates criticism will not listen to one who admonishes him. As a result, he continues his sinful ways, which he regards as good.
[4:3] Among these twenty four wrong deeds there are five transgressions for which one cannot fully repent. These are sins between people where he cannot find the person whom he wronged in order to pay him what he owes him, or to ask him forgiveness. They are;
1) One who curses the public without cursing a specific individual from whom he can ask forgiveness1.
2) One who buys stolen goods, from a thief who does not know the victims nor their addresses, (or he refuses to give the buyer this information). Furthermore, he sins by lending a hand to the thief, encouraging him to continue stealing.
3) One who finds a lost object and does not announce it right away as he is obligated to do by law, in order to return it to the owners. Later, when he wants to repent (and he announces it, and no one shows up because the owner either died or moved from the city), he will not know to whom to return the article.
4) One who eats the meat of an ox belonging to the poor, orphans, or widows. These unfortunate individuals are not well known or recognized by the people. They wander from city to city, and thus no one knows them or can identify them as the owners of the ox, in order to repay them.
5) A judge who accepts a bribe to render a judgment. He does not know the consequences of his act (if the bribe actually influenced him to make a wrong decision and if so he is obligated to pay the party that was wronged)2. Besides, by taking a bribe (he sins even if he judges correctly, and) he lends a hand to the person who bribed him, helping him sin.
[4:4] Among these twenty four wrong deeds, there are five transgressions of which a person is not likely to repent because most people, out of ignorance of the law, do not regard these deeds as sins.
1) One who eats from a meal that the host cannot afford, (and did not pay the host for the meal one way or another). This is considered a type of theft. The person who ate from this meal does not realize that he sinned, for he will rationalize and say to himself, "I ate only with the host's permission (and did not want to embarrass him by refusing)."
2) One who makes use of a security taken for a loan from a poor man. The security taken from a poor man is usually an ax or plow. He will rationalize and say to himself, they do not lose their value if they are used, and I did not steal anything from him.
3) One who looks at forbidden women. He says to himself, "Did I come in contact or have relations with her?" He does not realize that gazing at forbidden women is a great sin, for it leads to sexual immorality, as it is written, "Do not stray after your heart and your eyes." (Numbers 15:39).